MH-282 Holobody - RiverhoodRiverhood is the first release from Holobody, the sibling duo of Felix Green and Sea Oleena, two talented artists in their own right who’ve together crafted a masterpiece from elements of gospel, hip-hop, and electronically-propelled folk. Album opener “Unfold” is a sentimental soliloquy, and its seamless juxtaposition first into the playfully rapped “Hurricane Season” and then into the instrumental "Stomp Coda" sets the tone for the genre-hopping on the rest of Riverhood. Brother and sister trade vocal duties throughout the album. "Riverbed" is a beautiful hymn of death and rebirth with a chorus washed in reverb. Sounds seem to merge and collapse, until the listener paddles into the void and disappears. Other highlights are the hypnotically spiraling “Prelude” and the psychedelic closer “Acid Rain” with each song taking the album in a new and usually unexpected direction. Perhaps the most striking moment is the duo’s take on the traditional hymn “Down to the River and Pray,” which begins with reverent beauty before taking a sideways turn into percussive celebration and ambient experimentation. All of these pieces are drawn together on Riverhood into a whole that is lush, vibrant, and extraordinarily inviting.

Luke Loseth and Charlotte Loseth (aka Felix Green and Sea Oleena) are siblings making music together, as an indie pop group called Holobody. They were raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, and have been collaborating since a young age. Musically, they fit together perfectly, creating a ethereal, folksy-pop sound.

Separately, the two have released solo albums. Now, together, Holobody is getting ready to release their 10-track debut album “Riverhood“, in May on Mush Records. Both siblings contribute lyrics and vocals, and Luke (“Felix”) had his hands on production, and also provided guitar, percussion, piano, synth, and bells. Some others provided aditional vocals and violin, too.

I mentioned that the album is ethereal, but don’t misconstrue that for something that’ll put you to sleep. It’s not completely delicate in sound; they also embrace some bordering-upbeat melodies, playfully rap and add some basic beat-box techniques (“Hurricane Season” & “Riverbed” respectfully), display rich acapella capabilities in the hymn “Down To The River To Pray”, and other experimental genres. I also like that they both sing, because their vocal tones aren’t the same, and it creates a great balance. - Crayon Beats